A Pacific University grad's Youtube clip about organized religion has generated nearly 19 million hits and brought him instant fame.

In the clip, which is called "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus," Jeff Bethke stands in front of Stadium High School in Tacoma and recites a poem in which he rants against organized religion.

"This poem highlights my journey to discover this truth," he writes in a commentary to go along with his clip on Youtube. "Religion either ends in pride or despair."

Despite his statements on religion, Bethke is a member of the Mars Hill Church, a Washington-based church that opened a satellite congregation in Portland last year. The church's leader, Mark Driscoll, preaches against homosexuality and once told his followers that yoga is "demonic."

The outgoing president of the Union for Reform Judaism, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, criticized Bethke on the Huffington Post, writing: Many of the commentators have seen Bethke's arguments as a reflection of recent trends that show growing skepticism among younger Americans about organized religion. These trends exist, but it is amusing to suggest that the problems that Bethke points to are in any way new. They are not. They are as old as religion itself.

"It has barely been a month since the release of my 'Jesus>Religion' video, and man has it been one crazy, intense, overwhelming, and awesome month," he wrote. "Ever since the video came out it has been an absolute whirlwind, and never in a million years did I think I’d be jettisoned into this position so quickly."